Crimson Ember
by Chaotica
Summary: The first day with a Draik.


A/N: This is what the first day with my Draik was like. It's short and mostly for use on his pets page so reviews aren't really necessary. I also must say that the 'world' of Neopia I used is something I've come up to make it more real. We all know that Neopia wouldn't work the way it is on the site, so I made modifications to make it realistic. That's all.  
Disclaimer: I don't own it...so there.  
  
Crimson Ember  
  
The newly hatched red Draik blinked up at the beings around him.  
"He's little." The brown Ixi said tilting her head curiously at her new playmate.  
"He'll get bigger." The girl said picking the red hatchling up. "Now, let's go to Neopia Central and get his stats sheet."  
This particular owner was predominantly Ixi. She had four of the little goat-like creatures; the fur on her was brown with blue and white tattoo circles down her arms and legs. One was obviously Halloween painted since she had green eyes that had a sort of tricky glitter in them. A Jetsam fin stood off her head between the twin horns she had on her forehead widely advertising her ownership of at least one of the violent pets.   
And now a pair of Draik ear-fins adorned either side of her head while she glanced around to her little Tizgani who wanted another look at her new brother.  
"Okay, okay." She set her new pet down letting the two get acquainted. "Are we ready to travel?" She didn't notice that her new Draik wasn't looking at her but did see Tizgani nod vigorously. "Alright." She closed her hand around a small multi-hued gem around her neck and they all were surrounded in silver. It seemed to fade immediately revealing the receiving station in Neopia Central.  
Ximeres squalled loudly as the experience startled him.   
Zexisa bent down to comfort him. "Oh baby, baby, shhhh, it's okay."  
"Oh wow, a Draik." The conductor said, another owner with a purple Mynci holding onto his back. "Haven't seen many of those come through here. You just get him?"  
"Yeah." Zexisa said drying away the newborns tears. "I didn't think the trip from Meridell would scare him so badly."  
"Don't worry about it." The other owner said. "Some of the new ones take time to settle in." He admired the rare pet a moment more before a new arrival burst onto the landing pad. It was an owner with three Gelerts that immediately bounded across the receiving station barking up a storm. That kept the poor conductor busy.  
Zexisa shook her head and lead Tizgani from the platform. "Alright, we'll get your stats Xim and I'll take you home."   
Her new Draik's name was derived from another name that meant 'Listening Intently', the version he bore meant 'Intent Thought'. So far her new pet was listening intently, but was he thinking intently? She was sure he wasn't quite paying attention. He was easily confused by loud sounds or quick motions.   
Most disturbingly Ximeres seemed unaffected by her voice.  
They entered the Creation building that was next to the Pound. Both buildings were busy this time of day.  
They approached the front desk. "Hello, I'd like to receive the stats reports on my new pet."  
The blue Techo behind the desk looked up. "Your pet was created in the 'Restricted' manor?" The Techo asked picked up what looked like a bar-code scanner.  
"That's right, Draik Egg." Zexisa said helping Ximeres to the counter top where the Techo scanned his hand.  
"Okay then, here you go." He handed Zexisa a stats sheet, which was actually a flat screen that shifted numbers with the pets constant changes. Usually this 'sheet' was handed over the moment of creation, but restricted pets were born in other parts of Neopia and their owners had to retrieve them.  
Zexisa looked over everything nodding to herself then she reached the bottom. "Oh my." There was a sound of doubt in the new owners' voice that the little Draik didn't recognize.  
You see this small newborn wasn't hatched at average intelligence like the other pets she'd witnessed being born. He was, to be blunt, dumber than a Pet Rock petpet.  
Zexisa had had no idea Draiks were hatched liked that.  
"What do we do with him?" Tizgani asked flicking her ears forward as they left the Creation building. She'd never heard about this either.  
"We take him home of course." Zexisa said cuddling her new pet.  
She stroked his quickly growing head as they arrived at their home, a small two-room home in Neopia. They had another home on Mystery Island and even one in the midst of the Haunted woods, but this one was closest and wouldn't require over-extensive travel.  
The moment she entered she was hit with a barrage of voices. She had quite a few pets already, and they all but one seemed to talking to her right then. "Ralstan!" She called out above their voices.   
A Mutant Korbat swooped in through an open window and perched upside down on a bar settled in a corner for him. "Yes?" The sly pet asked.  
"I need books." Zexisa said reaching out to straighten a bit of the Korbats' fur.  
"They're where you told me to keep them if that Jetsam brother of mine Udellion hasn't moved them to get me in trouble." Ral said flittering his wings. His eyes fell on Ximeres. "You actually got an egg?"  
"Yeah, sorry you all weren't there, I had to act fast or risk losing it to the Pant Devil or some such thing. And I want you to stop trying to get Udellion in trouble." She bent down by the bookshelf she kept cheap books and items for adopted and new pets. "Plus I want you to be nice to Ximeres." She warned pulling out a copy of 'Big Book of Puzzles'. She opened it, holding it to her new baby.  
"Of course." Ralstan replied tilting his large ears towards Ximeres in interest.  
Startled and delighted by the pictures and games the Draik grappled his way through it. Soon after he was handed another book, then another. His Ixi siblings (he has four) watched amused as he struggled over the difficult Lost Desert words in his copy of 'Sakhmet Natives'  
Calquain, his blue Ixi brother, helped him through the worst of them.  
Their owner kept returning with more books until Ximeres was of average intelligence. At the moment he reached that point she'd played out her usual games and was flat broke.  
"Well." She said handing Sixistar, a white Ixi and her favorite adoption, a copy of 'Acaras' in History' that held no interest to young Xim. "That's that then. You're right were you should be."  
Ximeres looked up at her with his wide eyes. "I like reading." He chirped curling up his tail around himself. He didn't quite understand he was himself and expensive pet and that his new-found education had just sapped the rest of his owners funds.  
"I know, and you'll read more. But later. It's gotten pretty late." She almost couldn't take the disappointed look in those large yellow and red eyes. "Now, don't do that. We're going to go and play games tomorrow."  
Rogazi, the tricky little Halloween Ixi looked up to the perched Ralstan above her. "He's defiantly got you beat in the 'cute-sad-eyes' department."  
The decidedly beady-eyed Mutant Korbat glared down at her. "I have never in my life used that trick." He folded his wings tighter. "At least not after I was mutated." He added quickly knowing it would draw a laugh from his at-times partner in crime.  
"Alright you two, bed." Zexisa ordered pointing to the door that led to the only other room in the house.  
The Four Ixi clicked into the bedroom curling themselves up on their straw beds. Ralstan flittered off into the other room landing on another bar in another corner. This one had a beanbag chair under it if he fell while sleeping. A whole other corner was taken up by a pool set in the floor, it was empty.  
"Oh, that's right, Udellion is staying out at sea tonight." She took a torn blue poogle toy from the water and wrung it out and set it to the side. "And now for Xim."  
She reached over the side of her own bed and dragged out a stone box filled with straw. "You're a fire breather." She said fluffing up the straw a bit. So if it all catches you'll be fine and the stone will protect the rest of the house."  
Ximeres curled his claws over the edge of the box and gave a heave. He was soon inside even though he fell in lopsided sending tail and wings askew.  
There was a laugh from the others as he settled into his new bed.  
The night was a long one for little Ximeres. He'd known nothing but the comfort of his egg for so long. This world out here was so big, he hardly knew what to make of it. Eventually his eyes closed and his mind slowed, and deep inside his mind a glowing red ember of intelligence took hold, but would take time to become a flame. 


End file.
